Rugby World Cup winners Malcolm Marx and Pieter-Steph du Toit have been included in strong Springboks squad for the upcoming Rugby Championship despite picking up injuries in the second Test against Ireland.
Star hooker Marx was ruled out of the Test against Portugal with a leg fracture , while flank Du Toit was also believed to be out for about four to six weeks with an injury. The duo are in a race against time to be fit for first Tests against Australia August 10 and 17, but should be 100 ready to go for the remainder of the tournament.
However, the Springboks still have a big injury list, with Jean Kleyn, Lood de Jager and Franco Mostert all locks, Steven Kitshoff prop, Faf de Klerk, Jaden Hendrikse, Herschel Jantjies scrumhalves, Canan Moodie centre, Edwill van der Merwe wing and Damian Willemse utility back not considered for selection.
The 33-man Springboks squad features 22 Rugby World Cup-winners, while five 2024 debutants are included in the squad with Jan-Hendrik Wessels utility forward, Johan Grobbelaar hooker, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu utility back, Ben-Jason Dixon utility forward and Morne van den Berg scrumhalf all getting the nod.
The only newcomer to the group is the Bulls lock Ruan Nortje, who made his Springbok debut against Wales.
